Thursday, 7 May 2015

Mercedes have confirmed that they support reigning FIA
Formula 3 European Champion Esteban Ocon throughout the 2015 season and beyond.

The 18 year old Frenchman will drive for ART Grand Prix in
the GP3 championship starting with this weekend’s event in Barcelona. ART have
been supported by Mercedes for a long time and along with the support in GP3,
Ocon has also been announced as official test and reserve driver to Mercedes
Benz AMG DTM team.

As part of the package, Ocon has signed a contract that will
see him become a fully-fledged Mercedes Benz driver in the future. Speaking
about the announcement, Head of Mercedes Benz Motorsport Toto Wolff stated:

‘Esteban is a mega-talented young guy and one
of the stars of the future. I’m pleased we’ve found a good path to continue his
relationship with Mercedes-Benz, because we have a strong tradition of
supporting the best young drivers with a view to their long-term potential. We
will be watching Esteban’s progress with a lot of interest and I hope this year
will be the first of many working together.’

Esteban Ocon stated:

“I’m
really proud to have the support of Mercedes-Benz this season and that the
Mercedes AMG DTM team has trusted me with the important role of test and
reserve driver. I spent last weekend with the DTM team in Hockenheim and hope
that I can play a valuable role this year. But my main focus is on the opening
races of the GP3 Series this weekend. I am proud to be racing with support from
Mercedes-Benz and in a fantastic team like ART Grand Prix. I hope that I can
compete for the title this year, starting with strong results in Barcelona.”